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LaborFest 2021 opens its 28th annual festival on July 1, 2021 with the most important video on the life and struggle of ILWU founder, Harry Bridges. Directed by Berry Minnott, Harry Bridges, A Man and His Union (1992; 59 minutes), chronicles the life of one of America’s most important and dedicated left-wing labor leaders.
In 1934, Bridges appealed to union members to break from the corrupt mob-controlled ILA and launched a groundbreaking strike in San Francisco. Victory led to the start of the International Longshoremen and Warehouseman Union (ILWU) in 1937.
The democratic structure of the ILWU allowed the rank and file to have not only a voice but also control of their union. That democratic structure and their politics was one of the reasons the US government tried to deport Bridges five times. The ILUW was one of only two unions that survived the anti-communist witch-hunts in the 40’s and 50’s and it continues to put principles and their membership’s first.
A panel discussion will follow the video presentation.